Mowing-machine.



A. GRIBVES.

MOWING MAUHINE.

APPLICATION FILED DEG.19, 1913.

1,1 13,552. Patented Oct. 13,1914.

THE NORRIS FETERS co, PHOTO-LITHQ, WASHINGTON D. c.

UNITED STATES? PATENT oEEIoE.

ALBERT GEIEvEs, 0F sP INGEIELD, onio, ASSIGNOR TO'iNTERNATIONALHARVESTER COMPANY or NEW JERSEY,"A conronn'rron 0 NEW JERSEY.

MOWING-MACHINE.

Application filed December 19, 1913. Serial No. 807,616.

and useful Improvements in Mowing-Mm chines, of which the following is afull,

clear, and exact specification.

My invention relates to mowing machines,

and particularly to the mechanism for adjusting the cutting apparatus toa higher or.

lower plane in that class of such machines wherein the finger bar ishingeointed to a coupling frame which is pivotally connected with themainframe of the machine in a manner to rise and fall in following theinequalities of the surface of the ground,

and wherein the finger bar is designed to be adjusted from a horizontalor operativepo sition to a substantially vertical one. by

means of a common form of hand lever mounted upon the frame of themachine and connected with the coupling frame, the finger bar havingflexible connections therewith in any of the usual ways.

to provide a connection controlled by the hand lever for adjustingthecutting apparatus and the clutch mechanism forming part of the powertransmitting means, whereby action of the latter is suspended when thefinger bar has reached a degree of elevation rendering any furtheroperation of the cutting mechanism impractical. In. such a construction,however, it has been, found thatin lowering the finger bar to operativeposition by allowing the hand lever to move forward, the finger bar wasstill left at an excessive angle and the clutch mechanism wasoperatively engaged, the re sult being the locking of the gear mechanismand destruction of parts.

The object of my invention is to provide improved means whereby, whenthe hand:

lever is moved forward for the purpose of allowing the finger bar tomove from a vertical toward a horizontalposition and the clutchmechanism to engage operatively, the

coupling frame is locked from descending until the finger bar hasassumed an angle making it safe to allow the cutting ap paratus to beoperatively connected with the power transmitting mechanism.

A further ob ect of this invention is to provide means whereby thelocking mecha- Il1Sl1l1S positively. controlled by the finger bar aduSting mechanism.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Oct. 13, 1914. i

I attain these objects by the provisionof.

improved controlling mechanism coupling frame comprising a lockingtoggle and a toggle controlling cam operative upon movement of theoperating lever, as hereinafter more fullyset forth.

In order that myinvention may be andcompletely disclosed, I haveillustrated in the-accompanying drawings one embodifor the fully A mentwhich the same may assume in practice.

mower having my invention embodied in its construction; ig, 2 is a frontelevation of part ofF1g. .1; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of Figure 1. isa side elevationof part of a i part of the main frame of a mower and thefinger bar adyustlng and controlling mechanism, showing the couplingframe in a raised position and the locking mechanism engaging with thehand lever; and Fig. 4; is a ,similar View showing the locking mechanismas moved to its holding or lock- It is usual in the above type ofmachines ing position.

Referring to the drawings,wherein the same reference characters denotethe same parts throughout the several views, 1 represents the main frameof the machine, 2 the driving axle journaled thereon, 3 one of thetraction wheels, 4 a coupling frame having its, stubblewar'd endpivotally connected with the mainframe,.5 a coupling yoke carriedbythegrassward end of the coupling frame and'permitted to rock axiallythereon, 6 a shoe pivotally connected with the yoke 55, and 7 a fingerbar secured to the shoe, the pivotal connection of the shoe with theyoke permittingthe finger bar to be swung in (a vertical plane froma-horizontal and operative position to substan tially a vertical-one.

,8 represents a vertically disposed arm secur d to the shoe 6, and 9 ahand lever pivotally mounted upon the main frame 1 and including theusual curved arm l0and foot lever attachment 11; the leverbeingconnected withthe arm 8 by means of a chain 12 thatlpasses under asheave 13 carried by the coupling frame 4:. y

14 represents a clutch shipping bar having its front end pivotallyconnected with the hand lever and its rearend operatively connected witha clutch shipping mechanism, as by means of a rocking arm 15 and link16, whereby, when the finger bar has been raised to a predeterminedangle, the clutch mechanism, forming part of the power transmittingmechanism between the traction wheels and the cutting apparatus, isautomatically disengaged and 1s not per- 'mitted to reengage until thefinger bar has been lowered to a practical operative position. In orderto insure full efficiency of this vpart of the mechanism, I providemeans for locking the coupling frame against a downward movement untilthe finger bar has reached a substantially horizontal position, themeans including a link member 17 having its lower'end pivotallyconnected with a bracket member 18. secured to the coupling frame, thesheave 13 being mounted in the bracket. The upper end of the link 17 iscurved rearward and pivotally connected with the upper end of a shortswinginglink 19 by means of a pin 20, having a laterally projecting head21; the lower end of the link 19 being pivotally connected with the mainframe 1 eccentric to the aXis of the hand lever 9.

Integral with the handlever mechanism is cam track 22 and a rib member23 that engage with the head 21 of the pin 20. The cam track 22 isengaged by this pin when the hand lever is turned rearward to raise thecoupling frame and finger bar and causes the link 19 to swing rearward,carrying with it the upper end of the link 17, until the hand lever hasreached its rearmost position with the axis of the pivotal connection ofthe links 17 and 19 in rear of a line drawn through the axis of link 17upon the coupling frame and the axis of the link 19 upon the main frame,the mechanism becoming self-locking as a toggle connection between thecoupling frame 4: and main frame 1 and operative to secure the couplingframe in a raised position until the hand lever has been moved forward,permitting the finger bar to swing outward and downward to an operativeposition. When the finger bar has reached an operative position the ribmember 23' engages the head 21 of pin 20 in a manner to swing the links19 and 17 forward until the lock isbroken and the coupling framepermitted to descend, the cam 22 preventing any premature unlocking ofthe toggle until the hand lever has been moved forward to apredetermined angle and the position of thelinks 17 and 19 being whollycontrolled by the hand lever mechanism when moved in either direction.

Having illustrated and described apreferred form of my invention, it isto be understood that I do not wish to be confined to the particulardetails of construction shown for purposes of illustration, as manyminor changes may be made in the construction shown without departingfrom the spirit of my invention.

That I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is:

1. In a mowing machine, a main frame, a coupling frame adjustablyconnected therewith, a lever carried by said main frame, a toggleconnection between said coupling frame and said main frame automaticallylocking said coupling frame in a predetermined position of adjustment,and means carried by said lever and operative during a movement in onedirection thereof to re tain said toggle connection in looking position.

2. In a mowing machine, a main frame, a coupling frame pivotallyconnected therewith, a lever pivotally mounted upon said main frame andconnected with said coupling frame, a toggle mechanism between said mainframe and said coupling frame, and a cam carried by said lever andoperative to move said toggle mechanism into locking position when saidlever is moved in one direction and to retain said toggle mechanism inlocking position during an initial part of the reverse movement of saidlever.

3. In a mowing machine, a main frame, a couplingv frame pivotallyconnected therewith, a lever pivoted on said main frame and operativelyconnected with said coupling frame, toggle mechanism intermediate saidmain frame and said coupling frame and operative to lock said couplingframe in an elevated position at a predetermined position of adjustmentof said lever in one direction, and a cam carried by said lever andoperative to move said toggle mechanism into locking position and tohold it therein during a part of the movement of said lever in thereverse direction.

l. In a mowing machine, a main frame, a coupling frame pivotallyconnected therewith, a lever pivotally mounted upon said main frame andconnected with said coupling frame, a toggle mechanism between said mainframe and said coupling frame, a cam carried by said lever and operativeto move said toggle mechanism in locking position when said lever ismoved in one direction and to retain said toggle mechanism in lookingposition during an initial part of the reverse movement of said lever,and means carried by said lever and operative to unlock said togglemechanism during the remainder of the reverse movement of said lever.

5. In a'mowing machine, a main frame, a coupling frame pivotallyconnected therewith, a finger bar pivotally connected with said couplingframe, a lever pivotally mounted on said main frame, flexibleconnections between said lever and said coupling frame and finger baroperative to raise said coupling frame and said finger bar during aninitial movement of said lever, toggle mechanism between said couplingframe and said locking position during an initial movement 1 main frameadapted to sustain said couof said lever in the reverse direction. 10pling frame in a raised position, a cam car- In testimony whereof Iafiix my signaried by said lever and operative to move said ture, in thepresence of two witnesses.

toggle mechanism into a locking position v ALBERT GRIEVES. during aninitial movement of said lever to Witnesses:

raise said coupling frame and finger bar R. M. HOLLENBECK,

and to retain said toggle mechanism in a M. M. MoRRow.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Gommissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0.

